Reporters Without Borders: PM Orbán among „press freedom predators”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is the only European leader featured on the list.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF – Reporters Sans Frontiers) is an independent Non-Governmental Organisation based in Paris, with consultative status with the United Nations and the Council of Europe, among other organisations. They aim to safeguard the right to freedom of information.
On July 2, the organisation published “a gallery of grim portraits” — 37 state leaders and governments who crack down massively on press freedom.
Some of these “predators of press freedom” have been operating for more than two decades while others have just joined the blacklist, which for the first time includes two women and a European predator as well.”
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is also featured.
It is not the first time that the head of Hungary is mentioned concerning the oppression of press freedom. In April, RSF issued a global index on press freedom and those authoritarian regimes that crack down on journalism. At that time, Hungary was among the ten countries with the worst ranking in Europe.
This new list takes the allegations even further.
Viktor Orbán is the only country leader of the European Union who received a spot.
Together with Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, Orbán is a debutant.
He is mentioned as “the self-proclaimed champion” of “illiberal democracy”
“who has steadily and effectively undermined media pluralism and independence since being returned to power in 2010.”
They write about how the public media and all its programmes became means for spreading his propaganda, while all mediums previously owned by a private entity were destroyed or silenced. Thanks to all these political and economic moves and to the fact that many media companies were bought by business oligarchs having ties to the ruling political party, today, Fidesz oversees 80% of the country’s media platforms.
As 24.hu quotes the words of the organisation, “The remaining independent media are discriminated against in government advertising and access to official information. Their journalists are systematically denigrated in pro-government media, which call them purveyors of “fake news.”
They mention the Covid-19 situation in the country and how it was used to further control journalists and what they are allowed to publish. According to them, this had an effect of self-censorship on the majority of journalists and their sources. Then they explain how these strategies and decisions proved to be so successful that the Polish and Czech allies of Orbán even used them as inspiration.
The closing of the newspaper Népszabadság and the taking-over of Origo.hu and Index.hu are now complemented by the targeting of TV channel RTL Klub, gazette Népszava and HVG, Magyar Hang and many other news sources in the country. The case of radio channel Klubrádio was also mentioned.
The illustrious list, on which the Hungarian Prime Minister is now featured, includes leaders such as Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un or Alexander Lukashenko.
Read alsoOpposition PM candidate to CNN: poor performance is behind PM Orbán’s hate policy
Source: 24.hu, rsf.org
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10 Comments
In 2013 Hungary was at number 56, now it’s 92. In eight years it has dropped 36 places. It has dropped three places since last year. Fidesz has been in power since 2010 so this isn’t the fault of ‘the left’. China stands at 177 out of 180, although in eight years they’ve only dropped four places. That’s who we’re being sold to. I look forward to voting next year.
communist’s news network. F’ OFF no ones listening.
Joe Biden isn’t on the list?
Media ownership has been privatized in Hungary. It is the same as in the US. The difference between Hungarian media moguls and the American moguls is that the Hungarian news appreciates the government’s actions to help the people and at the same time publishing all news.
Most of the US leftist media does not print any news that reflects bad on the democrats and now the Biden Administration. Things that the leftist media failed to publish e.g., 1. Hunter Biden’s and Biden family connection with China, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria for personal gain, 2, disaster at the southern border between Mexico and US, the importation of drugs, human smuggling and enrichment of cartels, 3. the rising of crime because of democrat defunding the police, 4. bad economic policy increasing inflation and cost of food etc..
The whole of US media should be on the list and not Mr. Orban. It seems that the group is left wing group, supported by globalists.
Just wow, no doubt whom owns DNH. Is there any doubt why most Hungarians no longer trust the media? It is very clear that this rag is nothing but a mouthpiece for the opposition on the left side. I gotta ask a question…If you really hate Victor Orban so much why don’t you pack up your bags and find a more liberal leaning nation to migrate to? It is clear whom the ownership is of DNH. It is rather clear that George Soros hates the country of his birth and everyone living here. No doubt he is the spawn of Satan. No doubt when he buys the farm he will reside in a rather warm place with no water and no escape. In the mean time most Hungarians will know whom he is and vote again for Fidesz and Orban. If there was censorship here in Hungary as this rag claims it would have been closed a long time ago by the government. One can only hope that Orban and crew remain in power because if the marxist take control once again true censorship will be rolled out once again and they will brutally suppress free speach. On a rathere cheery note though if the marxist ever regain power one of their first actions will be to murder all the useful idiots in the press, universities and groups like BLM and antifa. Doubt me? You Tube has a nice interview with former KGB propaganda agent Yuri Bezemov that is rather enlightening . Read it and heed.
Victorinu must be quite upset, freedom of press in Orbanistan has not yet reached the standards of North Korea. However, it is only a matter of time. Give Victorinu another 4-yr term or two and he shall accomplish his goal.
VO has a scary appearance. He looks like a defiant bully ,a Trump-like populist,but belonging to a hundred years ago politician ,obsessed with race purity and nationalist to the bone ,isolationist like no other. He thinks all other Europeans/Americans are corrupt, immoral ; and more stupid than he ,that the Hungarians are the elected people ,or that they have ”special needs” ! and that throughout history they were victims of the surrounding nations . The truth is that every single surrounding nation was at one time or another terrorized by the Hungarians who by force imposed their incomparable language on them .Christian ethics and morals are in too many cases ”choose and pick”.I have read soon there will be elections ! As they say ,every nation gets the leaders they deserve.However the clock of the New World Order will not be stopped by anyone!
This is nonsense. Anyone who actually reads any news papers, watches TV news programs or reads blogs on the net should realize that there is free press and free media in Hungary. The critics have not either read the Hungarian papers or watched news coverage. It is funny that people who cannot speak the language or read the language make judgements on leftist gossip.
After thousands of years of evolution and here we are among pro orban\fidesz people denying all the facts and obviously blaming Soros, its not surprising at all, i live among this people , i talk to them.
Its like the old saying : ‘What we learn from history is that we dont learn from history”
The funniest thing is that this pro fidesz peeps are accusing EU of being marxists\commies while their supreme leader is allying(more like a puppet) with Russia and China the biggest communist countries in the world, but hey the west is Marxist somehow.
Hey Maria, what do you call when the government FORBIDS healthcare workers to talk to the press except the state national one (MTI) which is controlled by the government ? this happened just a few months ago.
Have you forgot the fact that the “free press” was not allowed to go into hospital to check the Covid situation.